Death Do Us Part
by bionic4ever
Summary: NLNL2: While Steve was overseas, Jaime and Oscar grew closer. Now Steve is returning home, with a 'friend'. This one is different. As always, all comments are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Death Do Us Part**

Chapter One - 10/1/78 - 7:30pm

The futon in Oscar's den seemed so much more comfortable when Jaime was there, curled up beside him. Oscar tended to the fire and sat back down, angling sideways to face her. He was amazed at the transformation she'd made in the three months that Steve had been in Thailand. The day he'd left, Oscar had found her at the Tranquilty fountain in front of OSI headquarters, basically shattered in a million pieces. She was sobbing brokenheartedly, even though she and Steve hadn't been a couple in more than a year. She'd looked so small, so bereft and alone, that Oscar (who had loved her from a distance for far too long) couldn't just leave her sitting there.

He had taken her up to his office and tried his best to comfort her. In the process of offering support to the vulnerable young woman, Oscar had found himself falling even more deeply - and outwardly - in love with her. At one point, their eyes had met and he felt a sudden two-way spark. Jaime's reaction told him she'd felt it, too, and they'd begun almost immediately to explore what it meant, turning the spark into a blazing fire.

The woman sitting next to him on this night bore little resemblance to the sobbing waif in his office three months earlier. Color had returned to her face and light and sparkle to her eyes. She had gained an inner strength and confidence that showed in the way she moved, spoke and interacted with the world. Oscar was so proud of her for that, and still amazed at the depth of his love for her - more than he thought his heart would ever be capable of again. Tonight, he had something serious on his mind. With Steve returning in three days, Oscar was more than a little afraid he would lose Jaime the minute her former fiance got off of the plane. He hoped their love was strong enough to weather the conflicting emotions, and he desperately needed to hear Jaime's viewpoint.

How do you feel about Steve coming home early?" he asked, as casually as possible.

Jaime shrugged. "He can do what he wants. But if he didn't finish whatever he was sent over there to do, his boss'll kill him. Real whipcracker, I hear."

"Oh really?" They shared a chuckle and then Oscar quickly turned serious again. "Babe, you were so upset when he left. How do you think you'll react if he gets off that plane and says he wants you back? The two of you used to be so close."

"That was practically in another lifetime."

"I know he still loves you," Oscar said gently.

"Honey, you know a lot more about that relationship than I do. For me, there's nothing there." Jaime reached up to touch his cheek. "I love you, and I want - no, I need - to be with you."

"Steve knows about us now," Oscar pointed out. That morning, he'd answered her phone at 7:00am, and it had been Steve.

Jaime smiled. "And - your point is -?"

"That doesn't bother you?"  
"He'd have found out in a few days, when he got back. Besides, I'm the one who was talking about announcing 'us' to the world, remember?"

"Of course, I remember. When you said that, it really struck a chord in me, but possibly not in the way you intended."

"What -?"

Oscar smiled, ran his fingers through her hair and let his hand rest on her shoulder. "I'd like to announce 'us' to the entire universe, the right way. Jaime, you mean more to me than I'd imagined any woman ever could. I can't even begin to picture my life without you in it." He took her hand in both of his. "I love you with every fiber of my being and I'm offering you my entire heart and soul for the rest of our lives. Will you do me more of an honor than I could ever hope to be worthy of, and be my wife?"

"Oscar...absolutely, positively, definitely _yes_!" Oscar produced a ring out of nowhere and slipped it on her finger. "It's beautiful," she whispered, awestruck.

"You're beautiful." Oscar gently drew Jaime very close and kissed her: a long, slow, deep kiss as if he never intended to stop. In many ways, now he didn't ever have to...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - 10/2/78 - 10:00am

Jaime and Oscar walked into OSI headquarters arm-in-arm, as a couple, for the very first time. They chose to arrive two hours later than Oscar's normal time so more of their co-workers could share the news at once. They nearly caused several cases of whiplash from people's heads turning to see if their eyes were playing tricks. Oscar and Jaime merely smiled, said 'good morning' and walked to his office as though nothing was unusual.

Oscar was actually cheerful as he greeted his secretary. "Good morning, Peggy!" She nearly fell out of the desk chair. What had happened to the terse "Morning, Callahan," as he flew past in a blur?

She noticed Jaime's ring immediately (it was hard not to) and joyfully embraced her friend. "You're engaged! Congratulations!" She even hugged her boss. "It's about time!" she exclaimed happily.

The phone rang, and Callahan settled back down to Planet Earth. "Steve - hi." Oscar shook his head and he and Jaime went into his office and shut the door. "He's in a meeting, Steve, but I'll be happy to give him a message." She wrote down the changes in his travel plans, said goodbye and decided to relay the message to her boss when he came back out.

In the inner office, the newly public duo had melted into each other's arms. "You know, I've got a serious problem," Jaime told him, not so seriously. "I haven't had a kiss in at least 15 minutes. I could go into withdrawal and -"

Oscar silenced her with a passionate kiss, dipping her backward in an old-fashioned, breath-taking motion.

"Mmm-mm - I like that," she told him when they came up for air.

"So," Oscar began, not letting her go, "have you given any thought to a wedding date?"

"In the half a day I've had to think about it? Actually, I have. And I've found the ideal day: October 2, 1978," she said brightly.

"That's - today?"

"It is? Wow, you're right!" Jaime grinned at the surprised look on his face. "Honey, let's do it. Let's elope; we could pull it off."

"Jaime -" Oscar was astonished. They were once again having identical thoughts. There was one thing he needed to know, though. "Does this have anything to do with Steve coming home?"

Jaime's arms dropped to her sides and she stepped back to fully look at him. "You don't really believe that, do you? Oscar, I love you. I don't need a big wedding; I need to be with you, to spend as much time as I possibly can making you happy and being your wife. You seem to give Steve a lot more relevence in this relationship than I do."

Oscar was convinced. "Well, looks like we've got a lot of planning and arranging to do and just 14 hours of today left." This was one situation where it helped to be well-connected in DC. Rudy Wells performed immediate physicals, and a federal judge issued a license and then performed the ceremony. By 3:00 that afternoon, Russ and Callahan were prepped to cover the office for a week, Rudy'd been enlisted to meet Steve's flight in three days, and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Goldman were on a private jet, on their way to Paris.

-------------

10/2/78 - 3:30pm

"To you, Mrs. Goldman," Oscar declared, raising a glass of perfectly chilled champagne.

"To 'us'," Jaime insisted, beaming at him and clinking his glass with her own. "We really did it!"

"Hmm-mm, better make sure." Oscar lifted her left hand, comparing it with his own. Matching platinum bands gleamed on both ring fingers. "Yep - we sure did." He leaned over to kiss his new wife. "What are my chances of getting you to tell the Secretary that you're quitting?" Oscar queried.

"Like he'd just let me leave."

"Circumstances are different. You're my wife now."

"Oscar -"

"Well, he'd have to let you go if you were pregnant, and Paris is known for that, or so I'm told."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - 10/10/78 - 6:30pm

Jaime and Oscar, back from Paris that morning, were relaxing in the den when the phone rang. Oscar reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"So, what's the idea, getting married without so much as a phone call to one of your best friends and your favorite employee?"

"Hi, Steve. Hang on; I'll give you to Jaime." Oscar was not pleased.

"No - wait," Steve told him. "I wanted to talk to you. Two things: First, congratulations." He sounded sincere, and Oscar's emotional temperature dropped a few degrees. "You've got a good woman there, Boss, and I know you'll always take care of her."

"You can bet on that -"

"Yeah. And I wish both of you nothing but happiness. You both deserve it."

"Thank you, Pal. I appreciate that."

"The other reason I called is, I was wondering if the two of you could meet me for breakfast tomorrow on your way to the office. There's someone I want you to meet."

The two men agreed on a time and a place and hung up the phone. Jaime looked at her husband quizzically. "He didn't even wanna say 'hi' to me?"

"Disappointed?"

"Curious," she corrected. "So what was that all about?"

"I have no idea." He pulled her onto his lap and blazed a trail of kisses that started with Jaime's lips and moved on to her neck, throat, ear and nape. "Now...how 'bout we work on making you a candidate for retirement?"

------------

10/11/78 - 7:30am

Steve met Jaime and Oscar outside the diner they'd chosen because it served the best breakfasts in DC. He'd already grabbed a corner booth inside, but wanted to greet them privately before they met his 'guest.' He was careful to greet Oscar first, guessing (correctly) that his boss would be feeling territorial seeing his new wife face-to-face with her former lover.

The two men shook hands warmly, double-handed, and then Steve turned to Jaime. He was taken aback by the dramatic changes he saw in her. She'd matured so much and carried herself with new confidence and joy, and Steve was genuinely happy for her. Mindful of Oscar's eyes on him, Steve smiled broadly at her and took her hand, holding it without shaking it.

"Congratulations, Jaime. It's great to see you so happy; Oscar must be taking good care of you."

"He is. And thank you." She stepped over into Oscar's waiting arm.

"I don't know if he told you," Steve said, "but there's someone inside I really want you both to meet."

When they walked into the diner, Oscar was still watching Steve, but Jaime noticed the woman in the corner booth immediately. She was beautiful, but seemed in many ways to be the Anti-Jaime: deeply tanned skin and very dark hair and eyes. As they got closer to the booth, Oscar saw her, too, and stopped dead in his tracks, looking as though he was seeing a ghost. His gentle but firmly extended arm stopped Jaime as well.

Steve, looking happily at the woman, didn't notice his friend's reaction. "Jaime, Oscar, I'd like you to meet my fiancee -" he turned to them and saw the cold, wary look in Oscar's eyes. His boss uttered just one word:

"Natalia..."

-------------

Five Minutes Later

"Would you care to tell me what the hell that was all about?" Jaime had never seen that side of Oscar in the two years she'd known him, and as they sped away from the diner toward his office, she was fuming, and more than a little frightened.

"Jaime, that woman and I have a bit of a history -"

"I figured that out for myself when you knew her name." She realized suddenly that there were huge facets of her husband's life that she knew nothing about. "What is it, Honey? Who is she?"

They pulled into the OSI garage and Oscar turned off the car. "I knew her seven years ago. She's the daughter of a Russian diplomat, and she came here - to my office - saying she wanted to defect." Jaime was silent, letting him take his time. "We became...involved. Later, she told me she wanted to work for me, that she'd been with a group of rebels who were trying to overthrow the Russian government. She said she realized she'd been wrong, and she wanted to help save the government, by defeating the rebels from our side."

"And - you helped her?" Jaime asked softly.

"I did. Her defection was approved, I arranged protection for her and..." his voice trailed off.

"And?" Jaime prompted. Then a realization hit her like a giant mallet to her heart. "You - were in love with her."

Oscar closed his eyes, wishing the conversation would disappear, but of course, it didn't. He opened them and looked at Jaime. "I thought I was," he said sadly, "but she made that irrelevant."

"What happened, Honey?"

"One day, she was just gone."

"Back to Russia?"

"I don't know. She'd either changed her mind or never planned to defect at all. Never saw or even heard from her again."

"Oscar, I'm sorry; I know how hard that must've been for you."

"It was my own fault. She played me for a sucker and I bought it."

"Well, I think that's understandable -"

"Jaime -"

"I mean, look at her -"

"_Jaime_ -"

"She probably played the helpless female to -"

"_Jaime, she's my wife._"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four - 10/11/78

Jaime had stared at Oscar in a moment of total disbelief before opening the car door and taking off in a dead run at bionic speed. Steve had just pulled into the garage with Natalia (now known as Natalie). Steve looked at his fiancee with confusion and pain clearly written across his face.

"I'm not sure what's going on here," Steve told her, "but you and my boss appear to have some unfinished business." Natalie didn't move, didn't say a word. Steve knew that for Oscar to storm out of the diner dragging Jaime with him, this had to be major. "Finish it," he ordered. "Now."

Steve got out of the car, intending to open her door for her, when he saw Jaime fly past at 50+ mph, her face streaked with tears. "Jaime - wait!" Steve took off after her. She had already outpaced him, though, and when he was out of the garage, he couldn't see which way she'd gone. But he was pretty sure he knew where to find her.

------------

At the same time, in his office, Oscar was pacing, smoking the first cigar he'd had in more than six months and cursing the behavior that would likely cost him the woman he loved more than life itself. He knew there was no excuse for having kept this from Jaime, but it had been a long time ago, and a horribly stupid mistake. Who'd have guessed that she'd show up after seven years, just when he was finally happy again?

His office door flew open: Natalia.

"Oscar, Baby, I guess we have to talk..."

------------

Steve climbed the hill and looked down at the small clearing beside the river. Jaime used to always do her best thinking in isolated, green areas next to water, and she'd gravitated to spots like this one when she needed to be alone. This was the closest one to Oscar's office and - Yes! - there she was. He zeroed in with his eye before approaching her. Jaime was sitting by the water, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head resting on her knees. Steve could tell by the violent trembling of her shoulders that she wasn't merely crying; she was sobbing her heart out. He walked down the hill toward where she was sitting.

"Jaime?"

"Go away, Steve. Please," she mumbled without raising her head.

"Sorry. Not happening."

"I wanna be by myself right now -"

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't be." Steve sat down beside her. His heart ached to see her in such intense pain, and he wanted more than anything to hold her close and hug away her tears but she was someone else's wife now. "Talk to me, please?" he asked. Jaime only shook her head and cried harder.

Steve placed one tentative hand on her back, rubbing gently, trying to comfort his best friend. They sat that way, silently, for a long time, as gradually her tears subsided. The shaking, however, did not. Steve still had no idea what was going on, but he knew it had shattered Jaime's world and was probably taking aim at his own.

"Jaime, please, what happened? I have a stake in this, too, you know."

"They're married, Steve," she managed to choke out, still not lifting her head.

"Excuse me?"

Jaime finally uncoiled herself and sat staring brokenly at the water. "My husband and your fiancee - they're married," she told him.

It was Steve's turn to sit in stunned silence. He waited for her to laugh and tell him it had been a really bad joke, but she didn't. "Jaime...I am so sorry -"

"So am I," she sobbed with fresh tears. "I think I've made the biggest mistake of my life."

While Steve wouldn't dream of pulling another man's wife into his arms, when she buried her head on his shoulder and clung to him in pain, his arms almost automatically wrapped around her. "Did Oscar actually say they're married?" Steve asked gently. "Maybe it was a long time ago and they got a divorce."

"No. His exact words were 'She's my wife'. He wasn't talking in the past tense."

Steve's own eyes clouded over at the thought of what his friend and boss had done to this woman they both cared so deeply for, and what Natalie/Natalia might be trying to pull over on him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five - 10/11/78 - 2:30pm

Steve had driven Jaime back to her old apartment without looking for Natalia first; he assumed his fiancee was with her husband. He made Jaime some tea and ran a hot bubble bath for her. While he waited for her to come out, he lit the fireplace, found a pillow and blanket and readied them for her on the sofa. He assumed (again, correctly) that she hadn't eaten all day, and when he heard her pull the plug from the tub, he made her some toast and set the plate on the coffee table.

When Jaime emerged, she still seemed a little shaky; unsteady. Steve took her arm and led her to the sofa, fluffing the pillow behind her and covering her with the blanket. "You should try and eat something," he told her. "I made you some toast."

She nibbled briefly on the toast and set the plate down. "Steve, thank you - for everything. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been there."

"You know I'll always do anything in my power to help you. Right now, you need to try and eat, and maybe rest a little. I promise I'll be back to check on you in a little while; I'm gonna go and have a nice, polite talk with your husband.

------------

When Callahan saw Steve coming down the hall, she decided it would be a good time to take care of some errands. Steve didn't knock or even use the doorknob; he raised one foot and kicked the door open, knocking it off its hinges. Oscar was sitting on the edge of the desk, staring blindly out the window. He didn't even look up at the sudden destruction of his door.

"Where's Jaime?" he asked.

"Don't even try to pretend you care," Steve growled angrily.

"I do care, Pal. I love her. I never meant -"

"Right now, I am not your Pal. And I'm not buyin' it. Try the truth on for size. Do you have any idea what you've done to Jaime?"

"I can only imagine..." Oscar said sadly.

"No - you can't. She is utterly destroyed. The only other time I've ever seen her like this is when her parents died. You haven't just broken her heart - you've broken _her_."

"I need to see her, to explain -"

"No way. She's not up to that right now. You explain to me, and if I feel she should hear it, I'll tell her."

Oscar lit a cigar and took a long, heavy draw on it. "Natalia and I were married when she was in the States, seven years ago. It made it easier to arrange for her to defect."

"Did you love her? Was it even consumated?"

"Yes, I did. And yes, it was. Three days later, on the day her defection would've been final, she disappeared. I had every team on this side of the Atlantic looking for her. Then I got word from overseas intelligence that Natalia was dead. Steve, they showed me a picture of her body!"

The truth sucker-punched Steve in the stomach. "You never divorced her."

"You can't divorce a corpse, Steve."

"Where's Natalie now?"

"_Natalia_ is in a holding cell downstairs. She entered this country illegally, under a false name, a former - and for all we know, current - foreign operative. I could've had you locked up as well, for bringing her here."

"Before or after you're charged with bigamy?"

"Touche'." Oscar picked up a stack of papers and handed them to Steve. "Would you give these to Jaime, please?"

"Depends what they are."

"Annulment papers - already signed."

"Your so-called marriage isn't even legal," Steve said through clenched teeth.

"Maybe not. But it's been seven years since they told me she was dead. I might win or I might lose, but I could drag the entire mess through the courts and try to have the first marriage nullified. Fraud, abandonment, presumed death...any of which, if I did win, could make my marriage to Jaime legal, after all."

"You son-of-a -"

"But I would never put her through that. I do care, Steve. With these papers, she'll never have to worry about any of that garbage, because our marriage never took place. I've even spared her the pain of having to file - I filed them myself, admitting false pretenses, and signed them. Once she signs them, it's over. Never even happened."

Steve took the papers and glared at Oscar. "But it did happen, and you hurt her beyond belief. Personally,I hope she sues you for everything you've got!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six - 10/12/78 - 9:15am

Steve had taken the papers back to Jaime immediately after leaving Oscar's office. He explained them to her - what they meant and everything Oscar had said. He hadn't stopped to see Natalia, a woman he realized he'd never known at all. Oscar had tried repeatedly to call her, but at Jaime's request, Steve had answered the phone for her and finally told him that Jaime would call him when - and if - she was ready.

On this morning, Jaime sat with the papers spread out on the coffee table in front of her. Jaime knew she'd probably never be completely ready to deal with this, but it needed to be resolved as quickly as possible, so she could move on before the grief and pain paralyzed or killed her.

There was a knock at the door. It was Steve, using the special knock they'd had since childhood. She threw her arms around him, needing to feel human (non-sexual) contact. Then she instantly backed away. "I - I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that. You're engaged, and -"

"No, I'm not," he said simply as they sat down. "Jaime, the woman I was engaged to, she simply doesn't exist. I don't even know this 'Natalia' person."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm sure I'm better off." He looked at the papers on the table. "You decided to sign 'em?" Jaime nodded. "I'll run them over to the judge for you, if you want." "Thanks, but I think I'd better do it."

"Can I at least drive you, offer some moral support?"

Jaime smiled sadly at him. "Ok. That'll help a lot. Thank you. There's somewhere I have to go first, though. I need to see Oscar."

------------

Jaime was almost completely silent during the drive to OSI headquarters. Steve glanced over at her. She was very pale, shaking slightly, but no sign of tears. "You don't have to do this," he reminded her. "You don't ever have to see him again if you don't want to."

"I know."

"Jaime, he's hurt you too much already." Steve noticed she was no longer wearing her rings.

"I need to do this - for me," she said quietly.

Steve nodded; he knew exactly how her mind worked, and he understood. He pulled the car into the parking garage, and Jaime got out without hesitation.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?" he offered.

"I'm sure. I might need one hell of a hug when I'm done, though."

"I'll be waiting for you."

Steve found himself unable to sit in the car and wait. He walked several laps around the fountain and wished he was with Jaime to help her through this ordeal. _God help me_, he thought, _I still love her._

------------

"Hi, Peggy. Is Oscar in?" Jaime asked with more confidence than she actually felt.

"I think he slept here, if he actually slept at all. hey - go easy on the door, ok?"

Jaime looked at her curiously, but didn't ask. Papers in hand, without knocking, she opened the door. "Oscar?" She didn't see him at first, then heard ice clinking in a glass and saw he was at the mini-bar, drink in hand - at 10am.

"Hi, Jaime."

She sat down before her legs could give out. Oscar left his glass on the bar and took a chair near hers, but not too near.

"Jaime, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I honestly thought she was dead."

"You still should've told me."

"I know."

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Oscar; I wouldn't have left you." She looked directly at him, trying to force herself not to cry. "Do you even know how much I loved you? Dammit, I still love you, but there's no way I could ever trust you again." She held out the papers. "Here - I signed them. or should I take them to the judge?

Oscar leaned forward, but instead of taking the papers, he took her hand. "Babe, is there any chance...to save this? I'll do whatever it takes, whatever you need me to do. I love you; I don't want you to go." His plea and the tears in the corners of his eyes got Jaime going, too. She cried along with him, and her tears broke Oscar's heart.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "But it was already over the first time you decided you couldn't tell me the truth." Oscar silently took the papers from her hand. Jaime stood up, wiped away her own tears and kissed her soon-to-be non-husband on the cheek. "Goodbye, Oscar."

Oscar stared at the floor, unable to speak or to watch her go. "Bye, Jaime," he said softly, after she was gone.

------------

Jaime stepped out of the OSI building into the bright sunshine. Steve was sitting on the edge of the fountain, closely watching the door. His heart did the little dance it had always done, every time he saw her.

"You ok?" he asked, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. it's over." Her eyes were clear and her voice steady. Steve could almost see her strength returning, right before his eyes. He knew she wouldn't be ready to love again for quite some time, but when she was, he fully intended to be there, first in line.

END


End file.
